Individual tests results of groundwater wells that send drinking water to Parchment and parts of Cooper Township showed one well with levels of PFAS 26 times higher than a federal health advisory. An estimated 3,100 people using Parchment's municipal water supply were told late Thursday, July 26, to immediately stop drinking the water after high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances were discovered in the municipal water source. Earlier that day, a test where water entered the system came back showing total PFAS of 1,587 parts per trillion. More:

Test of Parchment water source finds PFAS at 26 times health advisory

Individual tests results of groundwater wells that send drinking water to Parchment and parts of Cooper Township showed one well with levels of PFAS 26 times higher than a federal health advisory. An estimated 3,100 people using Parchment's municipal water supply were told late Thursday, July 26, to immediately stop drinking the water after high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances were discovered in the municipal water source. Earlier that day, a test where water entered the system came back showing total PFAS of 1,587 parts per trillion. More:

A major pediatricians’ group is urging families to limit the use of plastic food containers, cut down on processed meat during pregnancy and consume more whole fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Such measures would lower children’s exposures to chemicals in food and food packaging that are tied to health problems such as obesity, the group says. More:

Chemicals in Food May Harm Children, Pediatricians’ Group Says

A major pediatricians’ group is urging families to limit the use of plastic food containers, cut down on processed meat during pregnancy and consume more whole fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Such measures would lower children’s exposures to chemicals in food and food packaging that are tied to health problems such as obesity, the group says. More:

Polar bears following the sea-ice in hunt for seals have 30-35% higher concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances compared to coastal bears and levels are higher further east than the Svalbard area. More:

Polar bears in eastern Barents Sea have most chemical pollutants

Polar bears following the sea-ice in hunt for seals have 30-35% higher concentration of perfluoroalkyl substances compared to coastal bears and levels are higher further east than the Svalbard area. More:

Michigan - Scientists and regulators are trying to define their approaches to highly fluorinated chemicals - collectively known as PFAS - as officials increasingly discover them in water supplies, prompting concerns to escalate. More

How to protect yourself from PFAS contamination

Michigan - Scientists and regulators are trying to define their approaches to highly fluorinated chemicals - collectively known as PFAS - as officials increasingly discover them in water supplies, prompting concerns to escalate. More

New Bedford was a whaling town. But it also has an industrial past, and with the industries came chemicals. The biggest source of PCBs came from a company that made electrical components from the 1940s to 1978. It was located by the Acushnet River, which leads into the harbor. Officials keep dredging up PCBs and posting signs at New Bedford Harbor—but studies suggest anglers are eating too much of their contaminated catch. More:

Fishermen disregard New Bedford Harbor’s lingering toxic past

New Bedford was a whaling town. But it also has an industrial past, and with the industries came chemicals. The biggest source of PCBs came from a company that made electrical components from the 1940s to 1978. It was located by the Acushnet River, which leads into the harbor. Officials keep dredging up PCBs and posting signs at New Bedford Harbor—but studies suggest anglers are eating too much of their contaminated catch. More:

In Bhopal, residents who survived the massive gas leak and those who arrived later continue to deal with the consequences. In old bhopal is the abandoned Union Carbide factory. Here, in one ramshackle building, are hundreds of broken brown bottles crusted with the white residue of unknown chemicals. Below the corroding skeleton of another, drops of mercury glitter in the sun. More:

The World's Worst Industrial Disaster Is Still Unfolding

In Bhopal, residents who survived the massive gas leak and those who arrived later continue to deal with the consequences. In old bhopal is the abandoned Union Carbide factory. Here, in one ramshackle building, are hundreds of broken brown bottles crusted with the white residue of unknown chemicals. Below the corroding skeleton of another, drops of mercury glitter in the sun. More:

Leaded gasoline; cancer-causing dyes; Kevlar, a synthetic fiber found to cause cancer in rats; Freon, a refrigerant that ate a hole in the ozone layer; neoprene, the production of which gives off a carcinogenic gas; refined uranium for atomic weapons; and PFOA, which now pollutes drinking water around the plant — and around the planet — are among the 1,200 chemical products DuPont made and stored at what was its largest manufacturing complex. More:

Dupont's museum of disastrous chemistry

Leaded gasoline; cancer-causing dyes; Kevlar, a synthetic fiber found to cause cancer in rats; Freon, a refrigerant that ate a hole in the ozone layer; neoprene, the production of which gives off a carcinogenic gas; refined uranium for atomic weapons; and PFOA, which now pollutes drinking water around the plant — and around the planet — are among the 1,200 chemical products DuPont made and stored at what was its largest manufacturing complex. More:

Whitney Prieto was diagnosed last September with stage 2B triple negative breast cancer. She was 35, early in her pregnancy with twins and said she had no family history or genetic mutations that could make her especially susceptible to the serious disease. Prieto said that she knew of six or seven classmates from Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Florida, who were also diagnosed with uncommon cancers when she was diagnosed but that she now knows of about 20 -- all at about the same time. More:

Florida community raises alarm about potential cancer link to water contamination

Whitney Prieto was diagnosed last September with stage 2B triple negative breast cancer. She was 35, early in her pregnancy with twins and said she had no family history or genetic mutations that could make her especially susceptible to the serious disease. Prieto said that she knew of six or seven classmates from Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Florida, who were also diagnosed with uncommon cancers when she was diagnosed but that she now knows of about 20 -- all at about the same time. More:

“The day will come, probably in the near future, when prophylactically killing pests and weeds with toxic chemicals and neurotoxins will seem primitive and irresponsible,” Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain exuberantly predicts. More:

Farming with Intentional Biodiversity

“The day will come, probably in the near future, when prophylactically killing pests and weeds with toxic chemicals and neurotoxins will seem primitive and irresponsible,” Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain exuberantly predicts. More:

On a busy weeknight, takeout and fast food are easy dinner time solutions. But your family's favorite on-the-go meal may come with a side of toxic fluorinated chemicals. Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances, or PFAS, are a family of greaseproof, waterproof and nonstick industrial compounds. They're used in hundreds of consumer products, including ones that touch your food. More:

These Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging Are Getting Into Your Meals

On a busy weeknight, takeout and fast food are easy dinner time solutions. But your family's favorite on-the-go meal may come with a side of toxic fluorinated chemicals. Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances, or PFAS, are a family of greaseproof, waterproof and nonstick industrial compounds. They're used in hundreds of consumer products, including ones that touch your food. More:

Soil in urban areas is more likely to be sullied by contaminates like lead and arsenic. A variety of other heavy metals, as well as industrial chemicals like PCBs and PAHs, are occasionally found in urban areas, though not usually in residential areas. Wherever past industrial uses are suspected, however, these substances should be tested for as well. More:

Urban Gardening 101: How to Deal with Contaminated Soil

Soil in urban areas is more likely to be sullied by contaminates like lead and arsenic. A variety of other heavy metals, as well as industrial chemicals like PCBs and PAHs, are occasionally found in urban areas, though not usually in residential areas. Wherever past industrial uses are suspected, however, these substances should be tested for as well. More:

E-waste burning near Hebron, in a region that makes up about 20 percent of the West Bank, is a well-documented problem. It occurs mostly on the outskirts of a string of villages to the southwest of the city, beyond the municipal boundaries of the Palestinian Authority and near the concrete barrier that separates the Palestinian West Bank from Israel. More:

Amid Smoldering E-Waste in the West Bank, Activists Fight for Reform

E-waste burning near Hebron, in a region that makes up about 20 percent of the West Bank, is a well-documented problem. It occurs mostly on the outskirts of a string of villages to the southwest of the city, beyond the municipal boundaries of the Palestinian Authority and near the concrete barrier that separates the Palestinian West Bank from Israel. More:

According to a recent study, a number of Canadian-made and imported baby products contain toxic compounds known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), both of which have been banned in Canada and internationally. A study conducted by the NAFTA environmental protection agency found that two-thirds (or 94) of 137 tested products were contaminated with compounds. More:

Study Finds Dangerous Chemicals in Canadian Baby Blankets

According to a recent study, a number of Canadian-made and imported baby products contain toxic compounds known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), both of which have been banned in Canada and internationally. A study conducted by the NAFTA environmental protection agency found that two-thirds (or 94) of 137 tested products were contaminated with compounds. More:

Certainly, the statistics are grim. Native ladybird populations are crashing; three quarters of butterfly species – such as the painted lady and the Glanville fritillary – have dropped significantly in numbers; while bees, of which there are more than 250 species in the UK, are also suffering major plunges in populations, with great yellow bumblebees, solitary potter flower bees and other species declining steeply in recent years. More:

Where have all our insects gone?

Certainly, the statistics are grim. Native ladybird populations are crashing; three quarters of butterfly species – such as the painted lady and the Glanville fritillary – have dropped significantly in numbers; while bees, of which there are more than 250 species in the UK, are also suffering major plunges in populations, with great yellow bumblebees, solitary potter flower bees and other species declining steeply in recent years. More:

Since managing pests and weeds organically starts with healthy soil, experts recommend you start with a soil test. The test will tell you what nutrients your soil may need and whether it’s acidic or not. With that information, you can start figuring out what you need to do to make your soil healthier. More:

Since managing pests and weeds organically starts with healthy soil, experts recommend you start with a soil test. The test will tell you what nutrients your soil may need and whether it’s acidic or not. With that information, you can start figuring out what you need to do to make your soil healthier. More:

Katie Jurek was 19 years old when she was told the osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, had returned. Her death, aged 20 in 2007, was devastating for former classmates. Within seven years, another four teenagers died from cancer. More:

Toxic Secrets: The town that 3M built - where kids are dying of cancer

Katie Jurek was 19 years old when she was told the osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, had returned. Her death, aged 20 in 2007, was devastating for former classmates. Within seven years, another four teenagers died from cancer. More:

DISCLAIMER

This page may contain advice, opinions and statements of various information and content providers, and in particular extracts from electronic journals, newspapers and magazines related to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Please note that they do not necessarily reflect the views, decisions or policies of the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention (the Secretariat), of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) or of the United Nations (UN). Therefore, the Secretariat, UNEP or the UN do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information provided by any information provider, or by any other person or entity. Reliance upon any such advice, opinion, statement, or other information shall also be at the User's own risk. Neither the Secretariat/UNEP/the UN, nor their respective affiliates, agents, employees, information providers or content providers, shall be liable to any User or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, alteration of or use of any content herein, or for its timeliness or completeness, nor shall they be liable for any failure of performance, computer virus or communication line failure, regardless of cause, or for any damages resulting therefrom.

For more information please consult the Terms of Use of the Stockholm Convention website.